The Academic Forum of the Seventh Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) was opened with the speech of Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation, Adela Raz in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Mr. H. Vepa, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan and head of Turkmenistan’s Branch of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, also delivered their speeches at the above-mentioned forum.

Putting emphasis on regional economic cooperation, Ms. Adela Raz said that taking an academic look at the issue was of vital significance. She called on the experts, and university professors of the participating countries in the forum to conduct more researches and seek further opportunities with respect to the regional economic cooperation as well as pinpoint possible challenges and come up with strategies to eliminate them.

During the one-day forum, experts, advisers and professors from universities and think-tank entities of regional countries as well as certain researchers from research institutions beyond the region discussed the results of their studies in respect of regional economic cooperation for Afghanistan. Meanwhile, from an academic perspective, the participants talked about opportunities and challenges in front of an Afghan-oriented regional economic cooperation.

It’s been said that the findings of this academic forum would be utilized in the process of planning and policy-making of both the regional countries and RECCA’s trans-regional supporters. Moreover, the forthcoming ministerial meeting of RECCA to be held from 14 – 15 November 2017 in Ashgabat would also be provided with the findings of the afore-mentioned researches and discussions.

It’s worth mentioning that a series of academic forum related to RECCA followed by its ministerial meeting are conducted once in two years by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Center for Strategic Studies in one of the host countries.